Edmonton Oilers Lose Goalie as He Signs with a New Team Overseas

In 2018, the Oilers selected Olivier Rodrigue in the 2nd round, 62nd overall, in the NHL Draft.

At 6'1" and 158 lbs, the goalie had an impressive career in the QMJHL with the Drummondville Voltigeurs and the Moncton Wildcats. He played 181 games and finished his final season with a 2.32 GAA and a .918 save percentage.

Unfortunately, he made his professional debut during the pandemic, which certainly impacted his development. In 2020-21, he played only 11 games in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors and also appeared in 23 games in Australia.

The following year, Olivier Rodrigue appeared in 13 games with the Condors and played 15 games with the Wichita Thunder in the ECHL.

For the past three years, he had been back in goal for Bakersfield in the AHL and had only two appearances with the Oilers, despite posting solid stats in 2022-23 (2.77 GAA and .912 save percentage in 29 games) and 2023-24 (2.73 GAA and .916 save percentage in 37 games).

Many people believed he would finally get a real chance with the big club due to goaltending struggles, but GM Stan Bowman ultimately decided not to extend him a qualifying offer.

According to many sources, Olivier Rodrigue has decided to leave the NHL and has signed a contract with HC Barys of Astana.

At 25 years old, he will now face a new challenge. We wish him the best of luck, and who knows - maybe we'll see him back in the NHL in the coming years!